Commercial and consumer absorbent paper products are distributed and dispensed from rolls. Small, i.e., bathroom tissue rolls employed for residential use (e.g., in homes, is about 3 to about 6 inches in diameter) are dispensed by placing a rod through a core of the tissue roll and attaching the roll to a wall dispenser that connects to both ends of the rod. Large or jumbo sized tissue rolls are dispensed in restrooms of commercial buildings and in other locations where high volumes of rolled paper products are needed. These large size rolls generally include a core in the center of the roll. Usually, the rolls are mounted in a dispenser housing.
These large size rolls may not be largely visible to the consumer, as they are often protected in a locked housing which dispenses the paper to its user at its lower margin or edge. Some large roll dispensers include a housing cover that can be removed only with a key to facilitate reloading the dispenser. Other dispensers employ a hinged housing cover that must be opened or moved laterally to facilitate reloading the dispenser. Reloading dispensers is a time consuming task for maintenance personnel.
Both commercial dispensers and home dispensers can become dusty (e.g., from the environment and/or from particles that dislodge from the tissue roll), and dirty (due to contact with hands, moisture, etc.). Additionally, reloading of the dispenser requires direct handling of the tissue roll, which can cause the roll to become dirty and/or damaged. Accordingly, there remains a need for an apparatus for dispensing rolled sheet material that hygienically maintains the tissue roll during shipping, storage, reloading and dispensing.